Great band out of L.A.! SERPENT UNDERGROUND have a spectacular original metal sound, even with no lead guitar present! Been on The Blood Stream, heavily promoted by Sanaz, and many others within the industry, so the big news is their new album called "The Lie" ..check it!


AngelDevil: Hi Ralph, How are you?

Ralph: Great. How are you?

AngelDevil: Can you tell me the history of your group how did you meet, when did you decide to start playing together and so on...?

Ralph: I had been trying for several years to form a band that would stick. Something dark and heavy, but with a lot of soul. In 2003, our former guitarist Bryan and myself began working on such a project. About six months after writing and putting together a unique sound we brought our current drummer Rich into the project. After many attempts to bring in a solid bassist that would work with what we were doing, we found Tony "The Bone". Things were going well when we recorded our first album "Devils of Flesh" and began the onslaught of shows and myspace fan base. About seven months ago we found Cody Walker (our lead guitarist). We all felt this was the missing link we were looking for in order to complete our sound. Shortly after that time our former guitarist Bryan decided to leave the band. We then were very proud to add Jason Walker to replace Bryan as our second guitarist. What can I say? Serpent Underground is now complete and ready to crush any obstacles in our path.

AngelDevil: How did the name Serpent Underground come about?

Ralph: I saw the name in some lyrics from a song by The Doors. I thought it was extremely cool and unique, and it just happened to fit perfectly with the message that my lyrics were sending out. It's kind of symbolic of man's downfall and his struggle with his sinful nature.

AngelDevil: When will the new album, "The Lie" be out?

Ralph: Currently there is no solid release date, however we are pushing towards an early winter release.

AngelDevil: How do you go about the process of composing songs? Do you do all the lyrics?

Ralph: I wrote all of the lyrics except for the song "Your Sin" which is on the new album. That was written by Cody. Usually the foundation, or the idea is initiated by me. The rest of the band writes their parts during the creative process. Cody and Jason have been contributing a lot to the writing process on the new album.

AngelDevil: Which are your bigger non-musical influences when you're writing lyrics?

Ralph: Life. I usually write about what is most prominent in my life at the time. And most of the time there are more downs than ups.

AngelDevil: What are your thoughts on metal today? Do you feel that it is close-knit or are there more separations these days?

Rich: They're closer knit. More for promotional and networking purposes. Bands are working together to help each other out.

Jason: It's harder to get noticed these days with the way the industry is. People are sticking together and trying to collaborate more.

Rich: The only way around the obstacles in the industry - especially in metal is for bands to help each other out.

AngelDevil: What kind of response to your music are you experiencing from your audience?

Cody: We have been getting excellent response. It's amazing. Every show we play gets better and better. The fans are wonderful. Every one of them are the reason we're out there giving everything we got. The more they give us, the more we want to give back to them! And I couldn't thank them enough!

AngelDevil: How did "Devils of Flesh" do for you? How will this new album differ? And which songs in your opinion represent Serpent Underground's sound the best?

Bone: Devils did very well. The response was overwhelmingly positive. On that album, the songs "Devils of Flesh" and "Tangled" are essential Serpent. "The Lie" will feature quite a bit more guitar work than Devils and we stretched our sound a little more. All of the songs on "The Lie" represent where our sound has gone.

Cody: This album is a new chapter in Serpent Underground, and it will show how much the band has grown!

AngelDevil: What's your relationship with the media - do you feel you are getting the support?

Ralph: At this point we would have to say yes. However, it was a struggle getting to this point. This band is visibly on the rise due to the support and camaraderie of several really excellent metal bands in the Los Angeles area. We would also like to take the time to thank M Productions, Scott from The Roxy, Five Finger Death Punch, Old Fashioned Beat Down, Jimmy Roc, Metal Sanaz, and most importantly, The Fans.

Cody: We also want to thank you for giving us this interview.

AngelDevil: How would you describe your live shows?

Bone: Loud, Aggressive, Intense, Heavy and Melodic. Our goal is to move the people in the audience from deep down. We want them to walk away not only entertained but with a feeling that what they saw meant something. We want to give them something they won't forget 2 days afterwards.

AngelDevil: What was the most exciting moment of your life/career?

Ralph: Seeing the look on Metal Sanaz's face after the first performance she saw. When she said we rocked, you could tell she really meant it. I think we took her by surprise.

Jason: Getting compliments from random people. When they ask us to sign drumsticks, or album inserts. All of the positive energy.

AngelDevil: Who were your biggest influences in music, and was it always metal? Are there influences that may not come from metal?

Ralph: Trent Reznor...Nuff said

Cody: I have a ton of influences, both metal and non. Classical, Funk, Jazz, Country, Fusion, Blues, Rock, Metal...Anything and Everything. The List Is Huge!

Bone: Cliff Burton, Steve Harris, Rudy Sarzo, there are a lot that aren't metal. Flea, Jaco, Stu Hamm. These guys aren't metal but still influence my playing style.

Jason: I'm influenced mostly by anything rock, jazz and blues. Some of my favorites are: Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Phish, Dio, Ozzy, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, Satriani. Also a lot of technical progressive death metal: Chuck Schuldiner and Craig Locicero.

Cody: We can't forget Dime.

AngelDevil: So where are the next shows? Where will your fans be able to see you next?

Rich: We got a few shows coming up in LA. August 31st at Crash Mansion hosted by Metal Sanaz (We are very excited and honored to work with her), September 22nd the Local Metal Revival at the Whisky A Go-Go with Old Fashioned Beat Down (Thanks Russ! You are the man!) and we're playing with POWERMAN 5000 on November 29th also at the Whisky. We have pre-sale tickets for these shows available online at our myspace: www.myspace.com/serpentunderground.

AngelDevil: Thanks so much for your time, are you willing to say something more for Muen readers?

Jason: We are thankful for the gigs we have, and we hope a lot of people will turn out to support us and the other great bands we're playing with.

Ralph: Once again we'd like to thank you for this interview.

Bone: I want to say thank you to all the fans who've bought the cd and come to shows. And all the media who have helped us out in recent months. Without you we are nothing.

Cody: Thanks to everybody for their continued support. I'd also like to add that once we release the new album we are planning to go on tour. So please hit up our myspace and let us know where to play. We have a demand it section on our site!

Rich: Serpent Underground is coming. Spread the Warning!

AngelDevil: Good luck with everything!!

Serpent Underground: Thanks!

Interview by AngelDevil